Savoring the Scripture

Living with Confidence Our confidence in Christ does not make us lazy, negligent, or careless, but on the contrary it awakens us, urges us on, and makes us active in living righteous lives and doing good. There is no self-confidence to compare with this.  Huldrych Zwingli Living with confidence means living in such a way that shows “my strength and my value come from God”[1]. Our confidence and trust in God leads to a Spirit-led confidence, not in what I can do or be, but what I can do or be because of Christ’s strength at work in me and for me. But is this the confidence I live with day in and day out? Or do the pressures from others, the number of tasks that fill my day, or others’ approval lead me to dwell too much on my inadequacies? Paul had an opportunity to be discouraged and give too much attention to the opinions of others. Some men had come into the church at Corinth, they had talked poorly about Paul and led some of the Corinthians against him. They had called into quest...

  Forgive, Comfort, and Reaffirm Your Love “…you should rather forgive and comfort him, lest somehow such a one be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. Wherefore, I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.” 2 Corinthians 2:7-8 Recently, my youngest, when she gets in trouble, desperately says, “Do you still love me?” I quickly reassure her of my love, along with hugs and kisses, but it demonstrates the reassurance many of us need when we’ve wronged someone we love. We ask for forgiveness, and when comfort and an affirmation of love are given along with the granting of forgiveness, our hearts can truly rest. Joseph, the favorite son of his father Jacob, was severely wronged by his brothers. They hated him and sold him into slavery (Gen. 37:28). After many years and many trials, Joseph, now in the place of power over his brothers, does not exact revenge, but offers forgiveness. His forgiveness is not merely words, however, but by dealing kindly with them and providing for them and their li...

The Joy of a Sincere Life 2 Corinthians 1:12 Sincerity makes the very least person to be of more value than the most talented hypocrite.  Charles Spurgeon     For many ages, masks have been worn in theatre performances, religious ceremonies, and parties. Masks were worn to create a persona, to emphasize a particular emotion, portray a different character, or hide one’s identity. But too often, we wear masks in our every day life, not literal masks, but we disguise our true selves behind a facade.  In 2 Corinthians, Paul demonstrates by his own example, that godly sincerity should mark the life of the believer. Would we be able to say like Paul, “in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you” (2 Corinthians 1:12)? Is our testimony one of genuineness, lacking hypocrisy? Or do we wear a mask?     Sincerity is that quality of character that doesn’t hide under a...

  The Truest Kindness in the World 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 The God who raises the dead and who delivered Paul from such a deadly peril is responsive to prayer. Paul Barnett Have you or a loved one ever been in a situation that brought you to the end of what you knew you could bear? Have you ever been stretched so far that you felt you would break? Have you ever wished you had unlimited resources to assist someone in need or take care of your own seemingly insurmountable troubles? Last time we saw that for the believer there is comfort for every sorrow. In Christ, all and every one of our afflictions will be met with the comfort, consolation, and encouragement of God, and this comfort we receive is not just for ourselves but is for the comfort of other believers. Now we will see Paul give the Corinthians an example of how God comforted him and his companions in their trouble, which had caused them to despair even of life itself, and how the Corinthians played a role in the accomplishi...

Comfort in Every Sorrow 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 God is in every tomorrow,  Therefore I live for today,  Certain of finding at sunrise,  Guidance and strength for the way; Power for each moment of weakness, Hope for each moment of pain,  Comfort for every sorrow, Sunshine and joy after rain. Paul was intimately acquainted with pain and suffering. Here in 2 Corinthians, we gain a clear picture of the intensity of the suffering he endured. He knew suffering that burdened him excessively, beyond his strength. Suffering that made him despair of life (1:8). He shared that he and his companions had been afflicted in every way. Perplexed. Persecuted. Struck down (4:8-9). Beaten. Imprisoned. Lied about. Thought ill of. Distressed (6:4-10). And not just outward affliction, but inner anguish as well (2:4; 6:5). Paul knew what it was to suffer. Near the end of this letter, he gives a lengthy list of the hardships he endured in the ministry of the gospel (11:23-29). But what he also ...

Workers For Your Joy 2 Corinthians I have the settled purpose of promoting your highest good and joy (Verbrugge).   I want my life to be marked with joy. I want that for you as well. Searching through the Word, we discover it has a lot to say about joy and rejoicing. As citizens of the heavenly kingdom, joy is our privilege and it is a command to obey. Thankfully, it is not a joy we must generate on our own. It is His joy in us. His Spirit residing in us produces the fruit of joy. This joy is the overflow of our heart yielded to His Word and His Spirit, trusting His providence in all things. That particular disposition enables us to then count everything as joy, including the various trials and afflictions of this life, even those that seem to overwhelm us. So joy is a privilege, a fruit of His grace at work in us, and something for which we labor together, which Paul states in 2 Corinthians.      When Paul wrote 2 Corinthians, he did so out of deep love for them an...